Wintertide in North County was bitterly cold.
After a blizzard fierce enough to freeze people to death, it was as though someone had pressed pause on all of North County. Farmers, hunters, mercenaries-even the lord's patrols and guards-huddled indoors beside warm fireplaces. Even those in watchtowers without fireplaces wrapped themselves in as much bedding as possible. They all knew perfectly well that no one would cause trouble in weather like this, much less launch an attack.
Even the most vicious bandits and brigands were hunkering down for the winter.
Of course, there were exceptions.
During the middle of the Silver Age, a war had actually broken out during Wintertide in North County.
It had begun in midsummer, over the "right of the first night."
More than thirty thousand rebels had gathered in North County's Silent Territory, claiming to be a hundred thousand strong.
Like a swarm of locusts, they devoured everything in the Silent Territory, and their string of victories convinced the rebels that everything was under their control.
They did not stop. Instead, they began advancing at a frenzied pace.
They intended to seize cities and territory throughout North County, but the other lords, forewarned, all stayed behind their defenses.
Day after day passed. Although many villages and towns were plundered, their foundations remained intact, suffering no damage.
Then, when the first heavy snow of Wintertide arrived, half the clamorous rebel army died outright.
When the second heavy snow arrived, the remaining half died too.
Only a handful of leaders escaped into the snowfields.
There was a secret base there.
The strongest among them planned to stage his comeback from that base.
Unfortunately, the others wanted no part of it anymore.
Eventually, fighting broke out between the two sides, leaving both gravely wounded.
And William reaped the benefits.
William